The Bridge Between You and Me
by DuwangChew
Summary: One bridge. One tiny, cobblestone bridge stretching over a lazy river. To many it was just that: a nothing bridge of zero note worth. But for Sucy Manbavaran, it meant so much more. A series of SucyAkko stories centered around the bridge where they first met!
1. What's your name?

**AN:** **I got this idea when I noticed just how much Sucy's initial meeting with Akko meant to her. When the moment is shown in her memories, it's drawn in a much more serious and detailed style than the rest of the clips are. When Akko goes missing, the first place we see Sucy checking is the bridge where they first met. It may not have been intended to be taken as a romantic thing, but it was good fuel for me to finally write something for my secondary OTP of the show!**

* * *

Sucy sighed as continued down the path, looking back at the pamphlet as a guide. It was a pamphlet for the magic school nearby, Luna something rather, she wasn't entirely sure. She had only grabbed it when she got in town because it apparently had a map to the leyline terminal on it. Granted it wasn't a very good map, showing a criminally simple depiction of the terminal and how to get to it, but it showed what the terminal looked like, and that was all Sucy really needed. Once she got to it, it would only be short flight through the leyline before she could get to the Arcus forest. She chuckled darkly to herself as she envisioned all the countless concoctions she could come up with once she had a cockatraice feather.

Sucy was shaken from her poisonous daydream however, when out of nowhere someone crashed into her, knocking her broom and the pamphlet to the ground. Sucy simply stood, stunned as the girl who has just face planted groaned out a pained,

"I'm sorry…"

She was certainly a...curious girl, that was for sure. Her orange coat was quite the stand out, as was her strange little ponytail. For some reason, Sucy felt a fleeting moment of humor, almost as if something about the girl was entertaining. Patting herself down, and picking her broom off of the floor, she watched as the girl's eyes found the pamphlet she had dropped. Her reaction was instant, springing to her feet and getting just a bit too close for Sucy's liking.

"Is this yours?" the brunette girl asked excitedly, pamphlet in hand. "Are you a new student at Luna Nova? Are you on your way to orientation?"

Sucy flinched a bit, internally, at the girl's barrage of questions. She was quite...loud. She spoke with a slight accent to her words, so Sucy figured she wasn't local to the area. Taking the pamphlet from her hand, Sucy lazily turned it to the cover, seeing that the school in question was indeed called Luna Nova. It wasn't long before the chatty girl continued.

"Alright! I was a little apprehensive about going to Luna Nova all by myself!" she said with gusto.

Sucy certainly didn't enjoy the implications of that. This girl didn't seriously think she was going to go with her to the school did she? Even if she had planned on enrolling, there was no way Sucy was going to make the trip with some clumsy, chatter box she had just met.

"My name's Akko," the girl said, introducing herself. "When I was little I saw a Shiny Chariot magic show, and becoming a witch has been my dream ever since!" She gave a bit of a smug laugh before continuing, "Or should I say it's my fate. It's always been more than just a dream to me!"

The pale girl only blinked back at her in response to the barrage of pointless information. Shiny Chariot? Sucy knew she heard the name before, but it wasn't really ringing a bell.

"You know Shiny Chariot right?" As she asked, the girl called Akko pulled what seemed to be a trading card out of her back pocket, shoving it into Sucy's face.

Sucy had thought the girl couldn't invade her personal space anymore than she already had. She was dead wrong.

"See? This is a very rare Shiny Chariot trading card. It's my treasure!" Akko exclaimed happily.

Sucy leaned her head back slightly, allowing her to see the card. It clicked with her then where she had heard the name Shiny Chariot before. She was that hack of a witch from France that went around putting on light shows for people. This girl seriously had a screw loose if she thought that going around telling people she was her inspiration was a good idea. Still, as she glanced past the card at Akko's smiling face, some tiny part of her couldn't help but feel...warmed, by her excitement. There was something in her pair of shining ruby eyes that Sucy felt almost enchanted by. She didn't know why, but the feeling...kind of scared her.

The enchantment didn't last very long however, as it was broken when Akko continued to ramble on about her supposed idol. Sucy rolled her eyes walking past her as she did so. Deciding that she has had just about enough of the annoying girl, Sucy thought of the perfect way of getting rid of her, eyeing the plushie Akko had dropped earlier during their collision. Giggling to herself, Sucy retrieved her puppet potion from her bag, calmly uncorking it, and letting a drop hit the plushie. This should get this, "Akko," off of her tail. No more pointless rambles and more strange feelings.

As the little bird plushie slowly turned from white to light purple Sucy could feel Akko looking over her shoulder. Apparently she had stopped her Shiny Chariot talk long enough to be awed as the stuffed animal began to move on its own.

"Amazing! Puppet magic!" Akko exclaimed. "I've never seen it in person before!"

Sucy had to hold in her laughter, less she spoil her surprise, as Akko slowly got closer to the animated bird. It wouldn't be long before she got a literal eye full of the enchanted object.

" _Heh, what an Idiot,_ " the lavender haired girl thought to herself.

Sucy turned and continued on her way, come up on a small stone bridge, crossing a lazily flowing river. A seconds later she heard a scream of pain from behind her, signaling that the plushie had indeed jabbed the other girl in the eye. Good. Now she will know that Sucy wasn't looking to make friends. She'll know not to be so friendly with random people she meets on the street. She'll run away like all the rest, angry and scared of creepy Sucy.

For some reason, that last revelation, hurt. She was...sad at the thought that Akko would be afraid of her. That she would be like everyone else Sucy had ever met.

"Wait for me!"

Sucy nearly felt herself freeze as she heard the shout from behind her. Akko was still following her? Seriously? Why couldn't that girl take a hint? Why did it make her happy that she was? Unable to answer these questions to herself, Sucy just kept walking. It wasn't long however until Akko caught up to her, resuming her air of cheeriness from before.

"What's your name? How did you do that earlier?" Akko asked.

" _It's Sucy_ ," is what she wanted to say, but found that she just, couldn't.

Something about this girl was just throwing her off. Ever since she had bumbled her way into her, Sucy's feeling were all out of whack. She had learned from a very young age that feelings were nothing but trouble. They only got in the way, made life more difficult. There was a time, Sucy recalled, when she wasn't very different from Akko, in a sense. She had wanted so badly to make friends with the kids at the foster home she grew up in, but it only led to pain. She could almost still hear the calls of " _Creepy Sucy!_ " and " _Mushroom head!_ " That's when she realized that friendships were pointless. She didn't need them growing up, and she certainly didn't need them now.

Cutting whatever Akko was saying off, Sucy abruptly turned to face the other girl, holding out her hand. If she couldn't scare her off before, then she would do it now.

" _Maybe this time you'll leave me alone,_ " she thought to herself as she prepared her lengths of illusionary rope.

Oblivious to the planned trick, Akko eagerly grabbed her hand, and shook it.

"Well it's nice to meetcha!" Akko said with a giggle. A giggle that quickly changed to a shriek of terror as she finally noticed the fake snakes on her arms.

Letting go of Sucy's hand, Akko flailed about, finally toppling off the bridge and into the river. Sucy had already resumed walking when she heard the splash. She was surprised by the twinge of guilt that followed. While she had wanted to scare the other girl, and even found the resulting reaction quite funny, she hadn't meant for her to end up in the river.

" _No!_ " she chastised herself. " _That weirdo had it coming. Just focus on getting that damn feather._ " Sucy let out a frustrated sigh as she consulted the cartoony map again. " _Besides, it's not like you'll ever see her again, so stop feeling bad about it_."

What Sucy didn't realize at the time however, was that this was far from the last time she would see the boisterous brunette known as Akko. She didn't know that she was going to end up being saved from the cockatraice's breath by her, didn't know that they were going to end up teammates at a school she never had any intention of attending. Didn't know that she would come to be one of the greatest friends she would ever have. Didn't know of all the crazy misadventures that she would get her into. Didn't know that she would come to love using her as guinea pig for new potions, almost as much as she would come to love hearing her laugh.

She had no way of knowing that the encounter she just had would become one the most cherished memories of her life. Sucy Manbavaran never would have guessed that she was going to fall so deeply in love.


	2. Only in a Dream

**AN: Poor Sucy. I feel like she would have trouble accepting, processing, and expressing emotion. Ending up almost afraid of it and it's implications. I tried really hard to make that come across in the writing, and I hope that shows. Enjoy!**

* * *

Sucy stood silently as a breeze blew through her hair. She was back, back on the bridge. Despite knowing for a fact that she was back in her dorm only minutes ago, Sucy felt far from confused. Standing on the worn cobblestone of the small bridge made her feel...warm. Almost like...she was home. The sun shone brightly in the sky above indicating it was midday, and the river below continued it's constant lazy flow, babbling along the bank slowly. For a while, Sucy simply stood there, enjoying the serenity of the scene. The silence was broken however by a sudden chipper voice. One Sucy recognized all too well.

"What's your name?" came the question, just as she remembered.

Slowly, Sucy turned around, coming face to face with the bright eyed, brunette. Akko smiled brightly, tilting her head slightly as she waited for an answer. Sucy felt her heart beat rapidly as she took in the smile, a slight pink tinging her cheeks. Something about her smile was simply breathtaking. Realizing the other girl was still waiting for an answer, Sucy wracked her brain trying to think of one. What had she said back then again? What was her answer? Her heart sank as she remembered that it had been a mean spirited prank. Even back then, back at the initial meeting, part of her had wanted so desperately to answer Akko's question, but she didn't. Now however, she had a chance. A chance to give her the answer she deserved.

"Sucy," she heard herself say, almost as if she was an observer to her own body. "My name is Sucy Manbavaran."

Her whole life Sucy worked hard to keep a mask on her emotions, never really dropping her well maintained air of indifference. Yet in that moment, as she stood opposite from the cheerful girl in front of her, she felt herself smile. Akko's smile simply widened in response, as she took a step closer. Suddenly, Sucy's hands were in hers and the Japanese girl leaned in close to her face.

"What a pretty name…," Akko said at a near whisper.

Her words brushed against Sucy's lips, causing her blush to darken. Slowly, the brunette tilted forward, and began to close what little of a remaining gap there was between them. Sucy just knew that in a situation like this that she would normally be panicking, trying anything to get it to stop, but instead she found herself at ease, letting her eyes slip shut as she leaned in as well.

* * *

Sucy's eyes shot open as her dream came to an abrupt end. She was no longer on the bridge, but instead back in her bed, back in her dorm. Sitting up, Sucy scanned the room. Lotte was still sound asleep in her bunk, and Akko lay sprawled beneath her, snoring loudly. Judging by the light of the moon from the window, it was very early in the morning, not even past two. With a sigh, the alchemist lowered herself back onto her pillow, and stared up at the ceiling. She felt her face heat up as she recalled the events of the dream. Akko's enchanting smile, the way her whisper sent a chill down her spine, how they nearly kissed...The lavender haired girl grumbled to herself, pulling her night cap over her head, thankful that neither of her roommates were awake to notice the embarrassment she felt.

This was far from the first time she had a dream like this. They had started off much more tame, and much more infrequent. At first, Sucy would simply find herself back on the bridge, standing opposite of Akko as they stared at one another in silence. She didn't think much of it, as her dreams often took the form of memories. Why her mind had picked that one in particular, she had no idea, but she moved on. It wasn't until after the day of the broom race when she had the dream again, this time with Akko asking her the fateful question, "What's your name?" The dreams had continued in this fashion...until Akko went into her mind to wake her.

While she wasn't entirely able to remember what exactly had happened while Akko was in there, she was able to recall bits and pieces. Snippets of conversations that Akko had with her many different parts. The one part she did fully remember, and part of her almost wished she didn't, was the moment Akko had tried to kiss her. Her heart hammered in her chest as she thought back to just how close their lips had been to connecting. Had Akko not declared that the kiss "didn't count," due to them being friends, Sucy just might have let her go through with it. That was when Sucy more or less came to terms with the fact that she had a crush on the Japanese girl. Afterall, it was pretty hard to deny, and made her recurring dreams make so much sense. Of course after that incident said dreams started to change once more, becoming the much more intimate variant she had just experienced.

Why did it have to be like this? Life was so much easier, so much simpler before Akko had come barreling into it. Before, all Sucy wanted was to study fungi, poisons, and potions. Now she was getting all wrapped up in feelings and crushes and it all scared her. Not but a few months ago, Sucy barely payed other people any mind at all. Now one girl was practically dominating her thoughts. How was she supposed to handle that? How was she supposed to express her adoration, when she had no idea how it was done? Letting out a frustrated sigh, Sucy turned toward the object of her affection, and current tormentor of her thoughts. Peaking her eye out from underneath her cap, Sucy starred as Akko snored on happily. The klutz girl had somehow managed to slip out from underneath her covers as she slept, half hanging off her bed.

Despite it all, Sucy couldn't help but smile as she gazed at the shorter girl lovingly. Her anxieties and worries seemed to almost melt away as Sucy watched her sleep. Akko just seemed to have that quality about her, one that made her feel safe. Slowly, Sucy crept out of her bed, and made her way quietly over to Akko. The lavender haired girl smiled as she brushed a couple of wayward strands of hair out from Akko's face.

"Look at you, you big idiot," Sucy whispered to herself. "You'll catch a cold, sleeping like that…"

Silently, she pushed Akko back onto her bunk, drawing her blankets back over her. As Sucy rearranged her, Akko stopped snoring, instead quietly breathing, the corners of her mouth turning upward. Sucy felt herself blush, as she took in Akko's slumbering face, her eyes drawn to the smile playing on her lips. She thought back to her dream, and just how close those lips had come to her own, how soft they looked, and just how much she wanted to kiss them. Her blushed darkened, and she shook her head in attempt to clear her thoughts. It was probably for the best before she did something impulsive. Afterall, that was only a dream. Akko had made it pretty clear back in her head that a kiss between the two of them would mean nothing to her.

That fact alone was enough to sour her mood a bit, and bring back the worries she was feeling earlier. That's right. Akko didn't feel that way about her, and never would. She would never embrace her like that, and would never want to kiss her. That would only ever happen in her dreams. She almost wished that she would stop disappointing herself by having them.

Sucy turned back towards her bed when she heard Akko make a noise. She hadn't woken her had she? Turning back around, Sucy saw as Akko hummed happily in her sleep.

"Thank you…," the brunette girl said sleepily. Sucy was pretty sure that Akko was just talking in her sleep, and didn't really know that she was awake, let alone that she helped her back into bed. Still she couldn't help the swell of emotion she felt at the thanks. Ignoring every red flag shooting up in her head, Sucy leaned down and pressed a small kiss to the sleeping girl's forehead.

"Your welcome, my little dunce."


	3. Don't Lose Your Light

**AN: This was one of my favorite Sucy scenes of the show, so I hope I did a view from her perspective justice!**

 **I wanted to take a quick second here to address some lovely comments I have gotten on the story!**

 **Kaponos: I'm really glad you are enjoying it! Your Sucy/Akko stories are part of the reason I finally got inspired enough to sit down and write this! I apologize in advance for this chapter being kinda angsty, but I promise there are more sweet times ahead!**

 **Baka-Akko: I this case, what you can't say, means just as much to me as what you can! I'm floored that someone was left speechless by something I wrote! That level of being unable to put thoughts into words, that's the kind of emotion I had only hoped of achieving!**

* * *

It was dark, cold, and the wind was howling, but Sucy couldn't care less. Akko was missing, and if she had to stay out all night to find her, she would. Flying above the outskirts of town, Sucy scanned the hills, looking, hoping for a sign of her runaway friend. She wanted blame herself for this. When Akko had run off earlier, she and Lotte should have gone looking for her then. Unfortunately they hadn't really realized anything was truly wrong until Akko didn't return to the dorms. Even as the sun sank below the horizon, the chipper girl was nowhere to be seen. Sucy remembered the silent fear that had started to grip her heart the later and later it got. Something must have happened to Akko, and she had been back in the dorm absolutely oblivious to it. She was supposed to be her friend right? How could she have not been there when Akko was in trouble? How could she not have been there when she needed her?

" _Like you would have been able to help,_ " she thought to herself darkly. " _You can barely handle your own emotions, let alone someone else's…_ "

She wanted to deny it, tell herself that she really could have made a difference, but her track record proved otherwise. Anything nice she had ever said to Akkp had always come paired with a jab of some sort. For what was probably the 7th time tonight, Sucy had to fight back the urge to cry. She couldn't focus on being sad right now. She had to focus on finding Akko. The garden near the leyline terminal had already turned up empty, and she was running out of options. With a frustrated sigh, Sucy touched down on a dirt road. As far as she knew, no one in the group had checked this part of town yet. Turning to walk down the path, she started to think of the others. Hopefully they were having better luck. Maybe one of them had even found her. Maybe Akko was already back at the school, safe, warm, and waiting to see her. The lavender haired witch felt her heart ache as she pictured the other girl, sitting in their dorm, an adorable smile on her face.

" _Please be safe Akko, where ever you are…_ ," she thought to herself solemnly.

Suddenly, Sucy stopped walking. She had been so set on finding Akko, so wrapped up in her thoughts, that she hadn't even noticed where she had ended up. While it was a much drearier scene at night, and the piling snow was starting to obscure the banks, Sucy knew in an instant where she was. She saw it in her dreams quite regularly after all. The little bridge was pretty much the same as when she last saw it, save for the frost that was starting to coat the stones. Below, the normally slow river chugged on even slower, practically at a standstill. The whole scene felt...dead. Absolutely devoid of the warmth her dreams granted her.

Sucy clutched her hands into fists at her sides. She wanted it stop. She didn't want to think of this place like this. She didn't want to lose the memory of happiness that came with it. She want it to stay warm, bright and serene. She just wanted Akko back.

"Sucy!"

The lavender haired girls snapped her head up at the call, for a split second, almost believing it to be Akko. She had to try and stop the crash of disappointment that came with realizing it was Lotte. Hopefully the Finn would come with good news. As she ran up to her though, the worried expression on her face told Sucy that she didn't.

"I couldn't find her at the terminal." Lotte said, desperation clear in her voice.

"She's not around here either," Sucy responded. All of her willpower was being put into remaining the same desolate calm Lotte expected. It would do neither of them any good if she got emotional right now.

"It's possible she's not in the area. Let's go check out the plaza just to be safe.," with that Sucy turned and started to continue across the bridge. "Come on."

She stopped mid stride however when she heard Lotte start to cry.

"It's too much, thinking she might be gone. I can't handle it," the Finnish girl said tearfully. The words hit Sucy like a spear through the heart.

Slowly, she turned back around to face her friend. Tears were rolling down her face as she bunched her hands in her robes. Seeing Lotte cry was almost too much. Sucy's heart screamed to join her, to try and wail away the sorrow that she felt, but she couldn't afford to let a single tear fall. She had to stay strong.

"I've never even considered the thought that Akko might leave," Lotte continued at a heart wrenching whisper. "What should I do? What should I do If Akko never comes back?"

That was a question that Sucy simply couldn't answer, as it was the one she had been asking herself the whole night. Her life before coming to Luna Nova, before Akko, was lonely and cold. It had been her against the world, looking out only for herself, because no one else would. While she did have her foster home, Sucy never knew family. While she had plenty of other kids her age to talk to, she never knew friendship. All that changed thanks to Akko. Ever since the day the happy brunette had obnoxiously crashed into her, Sucy's life was filled with thrill after thrill, adventure after adventure. She had friends, fun, and had even come to know love. Her life was bright now. If she lost Akko, would she lose the light she brought with her?

In an attempt to lift Lotte's spirits, and to avoid delving deeper into her own thoughts, Sucy placed a comforting hand on the other girl's shoulder. Slowly, Lotte's gaze rose to meet hers.

"It'll be okay," Sucy said, in what she hoped was a hopeful tone. "Akko's an idiot. She won't be able to hide from us for long."

Sucy hated how hollow her own words felt to her.

"Don't worry. She'll come back moaning that she's hungry, like she always does."

How badly she wanted to believe that. She would love nothing more than for that to be true. For a short while, the two friends just stood there. Strangely, Sucy felt a slight comfort in it. It gave her time she needed to straighten out her thoughts, and shore up her emotions. Somewhere out there, Akko was alone, cold, and in need of her help. She wasn't there to help Akko through whatever had happened earlier, but she could be there for her now. With somewhat renewed determination, Sucy turned back around purposefully.

"Come on Lotte," she said to her friend. "Let's go find our idiot."

Sucy could practically feel the girl's nod of determination.

"Right!" Lotte declared.

Together, the two took off towards the plaza, what could possibly be the last hope of finding their friend. As they got further and further away from the bridge, Sucy turned to look back at it over her shoulder. It currently made her feel cold, and full of dread, but she was determined to return its former warmth.


	4. Come With Me!

**AN:** **Oh boy. Sorry about the wait! College did as College do and got in the way hard core. But I'm back! And with the longest chapter yet. I personally think it's my best one, so I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Silvers07: always happy to provide for a rare pair!**

 **A Potato: I'm Happy to hear I'm pulling off the emotional side of this well!**

 **baka-akko: I agree! As much as I love how fleshed out Akko and Diana's dynamic was in the latter half of S1, I can't help but feel like Sucy and Lotte drew the short end of the stick. I hope to see them in the lime lite come season 2, if that ever happens. Plz Trigger.**

* * *

While the whole Noir missile crisis was definitely an extremely unordinary event, after it's conclusion, life at Luna Nova had returned to relative normality. Classes continued, the students still had to study for finals, but the whole school seemed...more alive. Before, it wasn't hard for, anyone to tell the school was on it's last legs. Even as the teachers tried to keep things optimistic and pretended otherwise, every part of Luna Nova seemed to hang with a defeated air, like the school itself expected the end times. Now however, thanks to Akko and the shiny rod, magic was back in full force, and the school seemed to radiate with a new found joy and excitement. It was most likely because of this that the rest of the year seemed to fly by, and it wasn't long until the teachers and students of Luna Nova found themselves facing Summer break.

As her fellow students chattered excitedly about their plans for the break, Sucy couldn't help but fall into a sour mood. Everyone, even her teammates were looking forward to going home and spending time with their families. Lotte had told her all about her family's planned trip to Ireland, and Akko had talked nonstop about the beach house her mother had rented. She supposed she should have been happy for them, and she wanted to be, but it was hard. She didn't have what they did, a family to return too. Sucy was largely on her own, which meant a Summer break wandering forests for various mushroom species. A past Sucy would have been perfectly fine with that, delighted even. The Sucy of now however, was only thinking of how much she was going to miss her friends. One friend in particular.

Between Akko going missing and stopping a potentially world ending missile, Sucy didn't really have a lot of time to sort out all of her feelings for her excitable roommate. Now that everything was calm again however, she had been spending her free time doing nothing but sorting them out. It wasn't uncommon for her to disappear to the red team dorm after dinner, or worm her way out of a group picnic. Each time she came up with some lame excuse about finishing an experiment. She could tell her friends knew she was lying, could tell they were starting to worry about her, but she needed time alone. Which is where she found herself now; alone, laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Briefly, she considered maybe moving to her desk, to keep up the appearance of her lie if nothing else, but decided against it. Akko and Lotte already knew she was lying earlier. Besides, she did her best thinking lying down.

Taking a deep breath, Sucy closed her eyes, and attempted to gather her thoughts. She had a crush on Akko. That much she knew already, at this point, there wasn't much use trying to tell herself otherwise. While this fact had initially been quite startling, Sucy had long since come to terms with it. What bothered her now was trying to find out the extent of this crush. At first, she figured it could have been something fleeting. After all, Akko was quite the cute girl, and her actions could be truly endearing at times. It would make sense that she found her attractive. It was something that could be lived with, and eventually, worked past. After a while, the feeling would fade, and she could go back to dreaming about potions instead of sparkling ruby eyes.

This idea was pretty much obliterated the night Akko went missing. What Sucy felt, the pure panic, worry, dread; it all pointed to something much more. The thought of losing Akko, the thought that she might never see her smile again, it nearly tore her apart. Akko had become synonymous to her with happiness, and she was deathly afraid of losing that happiness. This wasn't some run-of-the-mill school girl crush, that was clear to her now. That only meant one thing didn't it?

" _Goddamnit...am I actually in love with this dork?"_ Sucy grumbled to herself internally.

Just thinking that caused her to blush pretty heavily, leaving her quite thankful she was alone. What was she supposed to do now? Crushes, physical attractions, those were things she more or less understood, and could handle. But love? How was she supposed to deal with that? Sucy let out a groan of frustration as she covered her face with her hands. Thinking was supposed to help straighten out her feelings, not make them even more confusing.

" _Just...take this one step at a time,_ " Sucy thought to herself. " _Start at the beginning. Do you actually love Atsuko Kagari?_ "

Instantly Sucy thought of the day she met Akko on the bridge, and of the day she thought she might never see her again. Well that was a big yes.

" _Okay, why do you love Atsuko Kagari?_ "

Sucy was surprised to find that this question wasn't very hard to answer either. She loved Akko for being bright when others were dreary. She loved Akko for asking to try again long after everyone else had thrown in the towel. She loved Akko for being the only person in her life to have not even thought twice about accepting her as a friend. She loved Akko for simply being Akko.

" _Alright then, should you let Akko know you love her?_ "

That was the big ticket question wasn't it? Coincidentally, it was also the one that had Sucy worrying the most. Part of her wanted nothing more than to run to Akko with an uncharacteristic smile on her face and declare it to the heavens. A much bigger, more insecure part of her paled at the idea. How would Akko even react?

" _Maybe I don't answer that one right now,"_ Sucy decided.

She could always start smaller, more gradual. Slowly let Akko know how she felt through various interactions. She could sit a little closer to her at lunch, maybe make their hugs last just a little bit longer, and maybe even test less potions on her. Akko was dense, but eventually eve she would catch on that something was different, and by then, maybe she would be ready to tell her the truth. Yeah, that could work! The long game! From what she understood, love was hardly a fast acting thing; it took time. Besides, it wasn't like there was any particular reason for her to hurry-

Sucy's eyes flew open, and her hands flew away from her face as the realization hit her. Summer break. It was right around the corner. That meant that Akko would be away. Gone for a whole two months, miles apart from her.

" _So?_ " she asked herself, confused at the worry that was starting to grip her.

There was no doubt in the lavender haired girl's mind that Akko would return for her second year at Luna Nova, and this wouldn't be like before. She would know where Akko was, and that she was safe. So why did it bother her so much?

" _Because you know you will lose her._ " Sucy was surprised by the sudden dark thought, and against her better judgement, started to dwell on it.

" _She's going to be so far away, not even thinking about you, and at a beach no less! You're kidding yourself if you think someone else won't take your spot in her heart._ _By the time you finally get the guts to tell her, some beach beauty will have already swept her away."_

No. Akko wasn't like that. She wouldn't throw out her friends for anybody, and she was her friend. Sucy tried to reassure herself, repeating that fact over and over again in her head, but still couldn't shake the mental image of a tall, faceless girl with long flowing hair, strutting away into the distance, a giggling Akko in her arms. Thankfully, she didn't get much more time to focus on this nightmare scenario, as she was shaken from her thoughts by the dormitory door being flung open.

"...Mom says the view of the stars at night is beautiful, and Dad told me it's a private beach! Nothing but a clear blue coastline as far as the eye can see!" Akko exclaimed excitedly as she walked into the dorm.

The Japanese girl had been blabbing non-stop about her vacation plans to her friends for the past week, relaying every new little tidbit of information her parents told her about the beach house. Thankfully for her, Lotte was too happy for her to be annoyed, and Sucy found her excitement too adorable to say anything (although she kept that to herself). From what she could gather, the Kagaris were no slouch when it came to planning a vacation, and thanks to a bonus Akko's mother got from work, they were able to splurge a little on renting the expensive venue.

Making a beeline straight for her side of the room, Akko set down a plastic bag she held on her bed. Her hands now free, she flew into a frenzy cramming her various things into bags she had pulled out from under her bunk. Lotte entered much quieter than the brunette had, and addressed Sucy with a small smile before moving to pack her own things. Sucy recognized the smile. It was the one Lotte gave people when she was worried about them. Fighting back the urge to sigh in frustration, Sucy sat up and turned to observe Akko's erratic packing.

"Woah why the rush? You're clothes aren't going anywhere," Sucy asked in her trademark deadpan.

Akko seemed to jump in place at her voice, letting out a surprised 'Wah!' and stopping what she was doing. Then, she suddenly turned to face her.

"Oh, hi Sucy! I didn't see you there!" Akko said with a smile. "We missed you earlier at lunch. Jasminka made everyone blueberry scones!"

Grabbing the bag she had set down earlier from behind her, Akko eagerly held it out to Sucy.

"Here, I saved you one!"

Gingerly, Sucy moved to take the bag. It was warm in her hands, and smelt of sweet sugar. Definitely one of Jasminka's pastries. The Russian girl had a tendency to go extra on the sugar, and used a warming spell to ensure they were never eaten cold. Letting a small smile stretch across her lips, Sucy locked eyes with Akko.

"Thank you, Akko."

It was only three simple words, but for some reason she felt quite embarrassed saying them. She had to fight back a blush as she thought back to what she had just been brain storming. Deciding she needed move her mind in a different direction, Sucy gestured to the bag behind the brunette.

"Seriously though, why are you guys packing now? Isn't it a little early?" Sucy questioned.

Akko only looked at her with a confused expression, tilting her head slightly.

"Uh Sucy," Lotte said timidly. "Break starts in two days…"

It was like a bomb went off in her head. Two days!? There was only two days left!? Since when? How had she lost track of time this badly? Forgetting what day of the week it was supposed to be Akko's thing. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, but all she managed was a soft,

"Oh, guess I hadn't realized."

Lotte hit her with another one of her aforementioned smiles.

"Don't worry, well all be back together before you know it," Lotte said, as if she was reading Sucy's mind. She had a knack for doing that.

"I'll even be sure to bring you guys back something from Irela-"

Lotte's sentence was cut short as Akko suddenly slammed a her fist down into her open palm.

"That's it!" She exclaimed brightly. "Souvenirs! I knew I was forgetting something!"

Akko must have realized that her friends had no idea what she was talking about, and that she had interrupted, as she gave a sheepish laugh.

'"Sorry Lotte, I didn't mean to cut ya off. It's just that I remembered I promised I'd bring my parents back something as a present," the Japanese girl explained.

"It's alright Akko," Lotte responded with a giggle.

Akko however, didn't look alright. Her face was scrunched in concentration. Sucy instantly recognized the look. It was the same one she got every time she forgot they had an assignment due, and was thinking about how she was going to BS it.

"Aww man what am I gonna do now? There's gotta be a way I can drum up two meaningful souvenirs before I leave…"

Akko tapped her foot, closing her eyes and tilting her head slightly towards the floor, deep in thought.

"We could go look for something in town real quick," Sucy heard herself say, before she even realized she was talking.

Akko's head shot up, her gaze meeting Sucy's. The hopeful sparkle she saw there drove her to continue.

"The Last Wednesday Society probably has something that will pass as a gift."

"Really!?" Akko asked excitedly, moving to grab Sucy's hands in her own. "Do yah really think so?"

"S-sure," the alchemist replied, trying not to blush at Akko's sudden increase in proximity.

"Yatta!" Akko exclaimed, slipping into her native language amidst her excitement. "I'm saved! Thank you Sucy!"

Sucy stiffened as Akko suddenly wrapped her up in a hug.

" _No. Lean into it. Let her know,_ " She reminded herself.

So she did just that, and relaxed into Akko's arms. It was nice, and comforting, but just as Sucy was starting to enjoy it Akko pulled back.

"Alright then! We don't got a moment to waste!" she said brightly, putting her hands on her hips. "To the Last Wednesday Society!"

"You two go on ahead," Lotte said. "There's something I wanted to talked to Barbara about from the latest Night Fall volume."

Sucy spun her head around to look at her orange haired friend. The smile she found there all but confirmed that Lotte knew exactly what she was doing.

"Awww, are yah sure?" Akko asked with a slight whine.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure. Besides, I think the time alone will benefit the two of you," Lotte said, a hint of a sly grin on her face.

Sucy felt herself blush a light pink, unable to hid it this time. Akko just looked at the Finnish girl confused.

"Whaddya mean?" she asked curiously.

Before Lotte could give an answer, Sucy had already grabbed Akko's arm, and was pulling her out the door.

"Doesn't matter, let's just go!" she said with an annoyed grumble, hoping it was enough to cover up the butterflies that had erupted in her stomach.

* * *

"Hey Sucy, thanks again for coming with me!" Akko said excitably, turning to her friend with a smile.

"Don't mention it," was the only thing Sucy could manage as a response.

The two were on their way back to the school, Akko having spent most of the day scouring the magic item shop, and just about every other nearby shop as well, for a suitable gift to bring back to her family. Finally deciding on a pair of sparkle enchanted earrings for her mother, and a self-telling joke book for her dad (turns out Akko's corny sense of humor largely came from him), she and Sucy began their trek back to Luna Nova. Ever since the reawakening of Yggdrasil, it was possible to fly on a broom the entire way from the shop to the terminal, but both had reached a silent agreement to walk the way to the leyline instead. As the orange of the setting sun illuminated the sky behind them, Sucy couldn't help but feel like this was it.

While she had been somewhat annoyed with Lotte earlier for setting her up like this, Sucy couldn't deny this was the perfect opportunity. She was alone here with Akko; just the two of them, and with only two days left before the other girl left for Japan, she was running out of time If there was ever a time for a confession, now was it. It was then that Sucy realized she had answered her earlier question without even realizing it.

" _Should you let Akko know you love her?"_

Yes, yes she should, and she was going to. Just as she was about to speak up however, Akko beat her to it.

"Woah! Sucy check it out!" The brunette girl said excitedly, point in front of her. "It's that bridge! Remember? The one where we first met!"

Before Sucy could even formulate a response, Akko dashed off, looking over the side of the bridge in awe. After a moment's pause, Sucy followed. Remember? Of course she remembered. She saw it in her dreams night after night. It was the same old same old. The same worn cobblestone and the same lazy river, yet Akko looked around her like she had discovered a priceless shipwreck.

"This is where I asked you what your name was!" Akko chirped happily. "I don't really know why, but It was really important to me at the moment that I found out…"

Sucy stood silently behind her love, listening intently to her words.

"For some reason," Akko continued. "I just felt like it would be...special…" she trailed off quietly. It wasn't long however before she broke into a fit of giggles.

"Of course I didn't learn it then. Remember, you put fake snakes on my arms and I ended up in the water!" Akko said, openly laughing at her past self.

Despite Akko's mirth, Sucy still felt a slight stab of guilt.

"Yeah, uh sorry about that. I was a jerk back then…" Sucy said quietly.

" _Back then?_ " came a voice from inside her head. " _You put a fake spider charm on her coffee just last week._ "

"Nah don't worry about it!" Akko said, turning back to face Sucy with a grin on her face. "I was probably being super annoying."

This time, Sucy couldn't help but joining Akko in laughing. As the laughter died down, Akko turned back to look over the side of the bridge, and at the sun slowly sinking on the horizon. Silently, Sucy moved to stand next to her. For a while, the two just stood there, watching the sunset. It wasn't too long however, before Akko broke the silence.

"Hey Sucy, I wanted to ask you earlier, but you didn't show up for lunch…" Akko said quietly.

Sucy felt her heart start to race at her tone. Something about it felt...intimate. Something about it reminded her of her dreams.

"Ask me what?" She asked at an equal volume, somehow managing to avoid breaking her trademark deadpan.

"What your plans are for the Summer. Everyone else was super excited about going on vacation, or going back home, but you haven't said a single thing about it," Akko said, as she turned to face her friend.

Sucy could see there was concern hidden in those ruby eyes. Suddenly she felt like lying. She wanted to make something up about going on some great trip with old friends, if only to absolve Akko of her worry. She found however, that she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't lie to Akko's face, not about this.

"That's because I don't really have any," Sucy said, looking down at herself in the river. Somehow, the Sucy reflected there seemed even sadder then she felt.

"I don't have a family to go back to, Akko. There's the foster home I grew up in, but nobody there wants me back…"

She had never told anybody about any of this. She had always kept it under a tight lid, sealed away within herself. But now, she couldn't help but open up to Akko, and let it all flow forth.

"I'm pretty much on my own. I was probably just going to hunt down some seasonal fungus, and then...go...somewhere I guess..."

She couldn't help but note Akko's horrified expression.

"It's okay though. I'm used to it. That's just how it's always been," Sucy explained matter-o-factly, not noticing the waver in her own voice. "I'm used to being by myself. I'm used to being alone...I'm...always alone…"

Suddenly, Sucy felt something wet hit her hand. That was weird, there had been absolutely no sign of rain earlier. It took the second drop sliding down her cheek for Sucy to realize the "rain" was coming from her. She was crying. Actually really crying. After all these years of mastering her feelings, all these years of keeping them locked away under her mask, the dam had finally broken, and Sucy Manbavaran was crying. Needless to say she was mortified. Akko had barely ever seen her crack a smile, let alone cry. What was she going to think? What was she going to say? Needing to know the answer, Sucy turned to look at her friend.

She saw that Akko was also crying. Small tears slid down the Japanese girls face as she gave Sucy the sweetest of smiles. Silently, she wrapped Sucy up in a tight hug, and that was the last of her restraint. She cried, openly, and what she figured to be quite loudly, into Akko's shoulder as years of pent up emotion rushed out. Form the very start, the world had abandoned her, so she had to work hard to survive on her own. She didn't let this make her sad, because she couldn't afford to be. But now, as she was held in the arms of the first person to ever make her feel wanted, she could finally feel sad.

As embarrassing as it was to admit, Sucy knew she must have been crying for a good while. While the sun had already been setting earlier, It was almost completely gone now. Soon the two of them would be cast in the first dark of night. Thankfully, Akko didn't comment on the elapsed time, only rubbing small circles on Sucy's back as she slowly cried herself dry. It was comforting, and she loathed to break the hold, but Sucy knew that they had to go back to the school soon, or Lotte would start to worry about them.

"Akko," she said quietly. "We should go. Lotte is mostly like tearing her hair out wondering where we are."

She felt herself brighten a bit as Akko chuckled at her joke. Her response however, was far from one she had expected.

"Come with me," Akko said simply, moving back to look Sucy in the eye.

"I'm sorry?" Sucy asked. "I kinda have to, we live in the same dorm."

Akko shook her head, a smile on her face starting to grow.

"No, I mean come with me. Over break! Come to Japan with me!" she exclaimed, taking Sucy's hands in her own.

Sucy felt her eyes widen in surprise. Surely she hadn't heard what she thought she had, right? There was no way she did.

"You...what?" Sucy asked incredulously

Akko beamed at her, out shining the setting sun.

"Come spend Summer break with me and my family in Japan!" Akko said excitedly. "My parents would love to meet one of my friends, I can't just let you be all by yourself! The beach house even has an extra room! It's perfect."

Slowly, Sucy felt something spark inside of her. Akko wanted her to be there. Akko wanted her to come along. She wasn't turning a blind eye, she wasn't offering shelter out of pity, she truly wanted her to be there with her. Sucy couldn't really put into words how good it felt to be wanted.

"I...I…" She stuttered, trying to find a response. "I… I can't speak Japanese," she finished flatly.

There was a brief moment of silence before Akko broke into laughter.

"That's okay," she said after calming down. "I'll be your translator!"

Something struck her then, in that moment. Perhaps it was the spark that had started to grow before, or maybe it was just a stupid burst of gusto, but Sucy decided she was ready.

"Akko?" She began quietly, returning to her more familiar tone of voice. "There is something important I want to tell you."

Akko simply looked up at her and smiled, a light blush starting to color her cheeks.

"Okay, what is it?" she asked sweetly.

Sucy was somewhat taken aback by the response. Did Akko...know? How? There was no way right? She hadn't even been dropping hints had she? Little did Sucy know, that she had been leaving quite the trail. Constantly teasing her, testing potion after potion on her and her alone, the soft smiles she would give her when she succeeded, and the worried frowns when she didn't. It was all more than enough for Akko to slowly piece together the bigger picture. The back end of the year only cemented her suspicions as Sucy subconsciously grew gentler than ever before. She may be dense, but she wasn't that dense.

" _Come on, Damnit! You've gotten this far! Don't wuss out now!"_ Sucy screamed at herself. " _Who cares if she figured it out or not, just tell her!_ "

"Akko, I...I think I, no I know I…" Sucy felt herself starting to choke on her words. Why was this so hard? How on earth was this a thing people apparently did? It seemed impossible.

Silently, Akko squeezed her hands in reassurance, he smile never leaving her face. Turns out all it took was one long look into those pools of red she had come to adore for her to finally speak her mind.

"I'm in love with you."

Even after she said it Sucy couldn't believe she had. She did it. She actually told Akko she loved her. Akko's smile widened, and her blush darkened.

"That's good," The Japanese girl said quietly, moving to press her forehead against Sucy's. "I'm pretty sure I love you too."

Sucy isn't sure what makes her happier, what Akko had just said, or what she said next.

"Sucy, can I kiss you?"

It was asked barely above a whisper, but Sucy caught every word. She wanted to desperately to say yes, but she had to make sure of something first.

"Would it mean something to you?" Sucy asked response. At Akko's slight look of confusion, she continued.

"Back in my dream, when you went to wake me up, you said that a kiss between us wouldn't count, that it wouldn't mean anything because we are friends."

After a slight pause, Akko gave a nod of understanding, giving Sucy the go ahead to repeat the question.

"If you kissed me, would it mean something to you?"

Akko gave her the brightest smile she had ever seen.

"It would mean the world to me."

That was all Sucy needed to hear. Letting her eyes slip shut, Sucy slowly leaned forward, closing the distance between her and Akko as their lips met.


	5. Life Changing Questions

**AN:** **We are nearing the end of this work, with only one planned epilogue chapter in mind! I want to start off by apologizing a bit for such a large time skip, but I want to assure you that this is what I had planned for the start. It's not me trying to wrap this up quickly or anything. I just really wanted to take a crack at grown up Akko and Sucy! Next order of business is to say thank you to everyone who followed this story. It's been a real fun time writing it, and has helped me in writing from a singular perspective a bit. Lastly. Any way, I hope you enjoy, and keep on the lookout for a possible spin-off story, focusing on Akko and Sucy's Summer vacation in Japan.**

 **And with that, time to read some reviews!**

 **Kaponos: I'm thrillled that you liked it so much! Hope you enjoy this fluffy chapter!**

 **Queen Sydon: It seems like you went through the whole story quite recently. Glad you have discovered it, and I'm glad I was able to convey such emotions!**

 **Silvers07: Thank you my kind friend. You're beautiful :)**

 **APotato1: Hey potato! Good to see you again! Hope this chapter is to your liking, and meets expectations!**

 **ThatFanFicGuy: Day after Day is one of the fics that inspired me to write this, so I'm honored to be mentioned alongside it. I agree that SucyAkko stories are quite rare, and I'm happy to provide for it. I don't want to disappoint you any, but the next two chapters don't move away from the general area that the show takes place in. After all, that Bridge has to be there! As I said in the start of the notes however, I am thinking of possibly expanding Sucy and Akko's trip into it's own story. It'll give me a chance to work with Sucy more as a character, and I think it could be quite fun. Be on the look out for it!**

* * *

Sucy lay silently on the blanket she had lain out on the grass, starting at the sky, watching as the clouds drifted by. The sun was shining brightly and a nice breeze was blowing. She supposed many would consider this a perfect day, but Sucy was slightly irked by it. She personally prefered shady days, and didn't really mind a bit of light rain either. Today wasn't about what she liked however, it was about something much more important, and in the context of said important thing, she supposed she couldn't have asked for better weather. The day she met Akko had been particularly sunny, so it seemed only fitting that the day she asked her to marry her would be too.

Sucy let out a content sigh as she fiddled with the small ring box in the pocket of her jacket. She knew that things like this were supposed to make people nervous, yet as she was planning her proposal Sucy had been nothing but calm, if not excited. The thought of a life spent with Akko at her side was simply one that left little room for her to feel apprehensive. She smiled as she slipped the box out of her pocket, and opened it, gazing fondly at the ring inside. Sucy had never been one for fashion per say, but she knew a pretty piece of jewelry when she saw one, and she made sure the ring for her love was the most beautiful ring of all. It was fairly simple by most standards; a gemstone inlaid in the middle of a polished silver band. It was the stone in question that made the ring however. An Eldin ruby, enchanted to always shine, no matter how dark. Just like Akko herself, the stone would never cease to be a source of light.

Of course once she had seen it in the window of the Last Wednesday Society, Sucy knew instantly that it had to be the ring for Akko, no other would suffice. Despite being on relatively good terms with the shopkeeper, it still ended up costing her an arm and leg. She found it hard to mind however, as the purpose she had in mind for it made it more than worth it, and it wasn't like she was exactly strapped for cash. Having spent almost all of her time at Luna Nova researching various fungi and poisons, it was no question that she was an expert on the topic. That's why when it came time for her to graduate, the newly appointed headmistress Du Nord made her an offer, one too good to refuse. Continue her research, but in the name of the school, creating new cures and potions for magical maladies. Not only would she be getting paid quite nicely for it (It's surprising how fast a school budget rises when its students helped save the world), she could live in the old research house near the edge of school grounds. It hadn't been used in quite awhile, but it was spacious, out of the way of other people, and even came with it's own expansive laboratory. Perfect for a reclusive mushroom lover like herself. Thanks to help from her friends and her love herself, the house was renovated in no time, and it wasn't long before she had moved in. Of course, she had planned on asking Akko to move in with her, as the house was more than big enough for two, but with Akko being Akko the brunette girl had already started moving herself in during renovations.

"What? We've been together for four years now! I think it's pretty safe to assume I would wanna live with you," Sucy remembered her saying with a smile.

The only snag in came in the form of Akko's schedule. Since the day they met, Akko had made her goal in life clear; become a witch like Shiny Chariot and inspire millions around the world. So, it was to no one surprise when she made good on that promise after she had graduated. She had started off small, doing a few local shows here and there. It wasn't hard for her to draw crowd. Everyone wanted to see the magic of one of the witches they saw fight a missile live on TV, and it wasn't long before 'Shiny Star,' was an international hit. With a little help from Chariot in the form of setting her up with an old agent she trusted, Akko was off to wow kids and adults alike the world over. This of course, meant long stretches of time away from home. It wasn't uncommon for Akko to be away for weeks on end, leaving their old house feeling quite empty. It was hard at first, getting used to the days that Akko wasn't there. After all, she had spent the last four years of her life dorming with the bright, happy girl. Akko was like her own personal sun, warming her house, and her heart. Not having that sun around made even getting out of bed in the morning seem like quite the arduous task. It made her wonder how the Sucy of the past could have ever possible lived the loner life she had, completely devoid of sunny smiles and warm, cuddly hugs.

Things got better, eventually. Sucy found that marking down the exact days Akko would be gone, and when she would return, seemed to make time fly by much faster. She didn't let Akko in on this little tidbit though, keeping up an air of playful indifference whenever the brunette did return.

"Oh? You back already? Didn't you just leave?" She would tease, relishing in the pout Akko would give in response.

"No I did not! I know you missed me Sucy! You were going on and on about how the house felt 'cold and lonely' without me in your messages!"

"You know what else the house was when you were gone? Quiter."

"Hey!"

It also helped to focus on just how much traveling meant to Akko and her dream. Just picturing the joy her girlfriend must feel before every show she started made all the waiting more than worth it. Of course it didn't hurt that when Akko did return and all the jokes were out of their systems, she was extremely cuddly. For most of her first day back, the Japanese woman would do nothing but cling to Sucy's side, and while she pretended to be annoyed, both of them knew she was more than happy to have her there.

And that was how their life had been going on for past ten years. Sucy, working hard in her lab to develop medicinal potions, and Akko stunning the world as Shiny Star. It was a comfortable life, and one Sucy wouldn't trade for all the mushrooms in the world. There were some snags, like the time their roof collapsed during a particularly nasty storm. Some unexpected troubles, like the time she had accidentally released a venomous fairy into their house while trying to study it, (Akko gave her quite the earful while she was giving her the anti-venom) They even had their fair share of excitements, like when she was asked to attend an award show by the magic council for a potion she had created. She chuckled to herself as she remembered how Akko had tripped over her own gown during the reception that followed. It was anything but an elegant fall, and the clutsy woman ended up crashing into the refreshment table, splashing everyone in a five foot radius with champagne. Without question, Akko made her life happier than she had ever thought it could be, and now she was hopping the brunette would do it again.

Akko had just gotten back from one of her tours when Sucy had approached her with the idea of a picnic.

"Just the two of us, on a blanket or whatever. You like that kind of junk right?" she had asked.

Akko had beamed at her in response. "Really!? A picnic!? I'd love to!"

Sucy didn't really have a chance to say much else as her girlfriend had swept her up in a big, bone crushing hug.

"Who are you and what have you done with my Sucy?"

Of course Akko had no way of knowing that she was going to propose to her at said picnic, or at least Sucy hoped she didn't. The shorter woman was annoyingly perceptive when it came to matters of the heart. Not perceptive enough to see just how important this picnic was however, as she was running late. If there was anything hadn't changed about Akko since her days as a student, it was her terrible sense of time. She had mentioned earlier that day that she was going to visit Diana. The two hadn't been able to talk in a long while, what with Akko's travels, and Diana's duty as a teacher at Luna Nova. In Akko's own words, "They had a truckload to catch up on." Sucy couldn't bring herself to be annoyed however, although maybe she would act a bit like it to mess with Akko. If need be, she would wait till the end of time for her love.

She ended up not having to wait that long, as she soon spotted her girlfriend running across the grassy hills to her. Sucy stood up, and gave Akko a sly smile as she ground to a halt at the blanket's edge.

"Hello there little guinea pig. Nice of you to finally join me," Sucy said teasingly, addressing Akko by her nickname.

"Sorry...I'm...late," Akko wheezed out in between pants.

Akko was quite the athletic individual, so she must have been running awhile and at a considerable speed to be this winded. Judging by the fact that she was wearing the same outfit Sucy had seen her putting on earlier in the day, a deep blue blouse and a tan skirt, she must have come directly from her lunch with Diana.

" _Geez, didn't even have time to go home and change into something comfy did you, you big dummy?"_ Sucy thought to herself affectionately.

"I ended up talking so long with Diana that I lost track of time!" Akko said, confirming Sucy's suspicions. "I pretty much ran directly from her office at the school to here. I didn't really have time to go back home and change…" Akko finished somewhat embarrassed.

It was like Akko read her mind, repeating exactly what she had been thinking. Maybe it was just a sign of how good Sucy knew her girlfriend by this point.

"That's alright," Sucy said with a slight purr. "You look lovely."

Well there went her idea of pretending to be annoyed. Turns out she was just too in love to bother. Sucy, took her girlfriend's hand in her own, and moved to sit them down on the blanket. Akko narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"I was making a joke yesterday when I asked, but are you sure you're the Sucy I know?" Akko asked as Sucy opened the basket of food she brought.

"What do you mean?" the lavender haired woman asked innocently.

Akko's expression didn't change.

"I mean that not only did you plan this picnic, but you didn't even give me too much grief about showing up late." Akko explained matter-o-factly.

"The last time you were this unabashedly sweet was when you accidently turned my skin blue."

Sucy couldn't help but chuckle to herself at the memory. She had accidently swapped a potion that Akko had wanted to use for a show with one that she was testing to help cure skin diseases. When Akko threw the bottle, expecting a splash of magical confetti, she instead got a face full of a choking cloud of blue. The Japanese woman was not a fan of her new pigment, and was even less of a fan of how funny Sucy found it. She spent a few nights on the couch for it, and a good amount of time more trying to make to her.

"Hey that totally wasn't my fault. You grabbed the wrong bottle," Sucy said through her laughter.

"You labeled them wrong and you know it!" Akko said with another pout. "Besides, you're defracting-"

"Deflecting, is the word you're looking for," Sucy corrected teasingly.

"Ugh fine! You're 'deflecting' the question! What are you planning Manbavaran?" Akko questioned.

Sucy gave her another sly smile, holding out a tray of sweets she brought.

"Nothing. I can't just want to have a nice time with my girlfriend?" she questioned sweetly.

She could see Akko's resolve melting as the brunette eyed the presented pastries hungrily. Her sweet tooth was beating out her need for an answer.

"Fine," Akko said, taking a tart from the tray. "But I'm watching you. These better not make my hair fall out or something.

"Never. You're hair is way too pretty for that," Sucy said as she leaned over and ran a hand through her girlfriend's locks.

They sat in comfortable silence for a bit, Sucy watching lovingly as Akko devoured the sweets she had brought her. She relished in the small sounds of delight Akko made as she bit into each one. From the way she was eating, one would think she didn't just come from lunch with a friend.

"Did you actually do any eating at this lunch visit of yours?" Sucy asked. "You're scarfing down tarts like a maniac."

Akko paused to swallow her comically large mouthful of pastry before responding.

"Yeah I had plenty to eat, it's just that we were talking for so long that by the end I was getting hungry again…" the brunette said bashfully, rubbing the back of her head.

Sucy giggled to herself at this. That was her Akko alright.

"What did you two talk about that took so long anyway? You plotting to kill somebody?"

"What!? No! Of course not!" Akko said, stopping mid bite.

"Because if you are I could whip you up plenty of potions that would do the job silently. Or at the very least melt away any evidence that's left," Sucy said as she chuckled darkly.

"Suuuuucccyyy," Akko said with a whine. "We're not killing anyone!"

"Fine, fine. What was it that you were actually talking about?" Sucy asked, as moved to sit Akko in her lap.

The Japanese woman didn't protest, and leaned back against her girlfriend before continuing.

"It's wasn't anything important really. Just a lot of stuff about our jobs and day to day lives."

As she spoke, Sucy wrapped her arms around her waist, and nuzzled her neck. It had been awhile since she had last gotten to hold her close like this.

"Diana was telling a lot about what it's like bein' a teacher," Akko continued. "She was telling me about a girl in her second year classes. She admires her work ethic and her respect for the rules, but is worried she's being alienated by her classmates as a teacher's pet."

Sucy snorted in laughter at this.

"Remind you of anyone we knew?" She said slyly.

"I know right?" Akko said as she too started to laugh. "The first thing I did was tell her that she was basically describing 16-year old Diana. She didn't even try to deny it."

Sucy smiled as she pictured the younger version of their blonde haired friend, strutting the hall purposefully, stopping to correct anyone who was out of line, usually one of them...or Amanda. Suddenly, Sucy realized that Akko had stopped laughing. She didn't need to see her face to be able to tell that she probably had her serious face on.

"There was one thing she was telling me that was kinda important though…" Akko started slowly.

"Hmmm? What's that?" Sucy asked

There was a pause before Akko answered. Sucy could tell that whatever she was getting ready to say was definitely important to her. She prepared herself for a variety of possibilities. No matter what Akko said, Sucy would be ready to support her.

"Sucy, what would you think if Shiny Star took a break for awhile?"

Okay so she had to admit that she definitely wasn't ready for that question. Leave it to Akko to come up with a question entirely out of the blue. Still, if she was asking it, it must have something to do with what she wanted to talk about, so Sucy thought about it earnestly. What did she mean by 'take a break'? Did Akko not want to be Shiny Star anymore? Did something happen on her last tour?

"Akko, what do you mean?" Sucy asked carefully. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"No nothing's wrong really," Akko said quickly, most likely to keep her from worrying. "It's just that…"

There was another pause, and Sucy waited patiently for Akko to continue.

"Diana was telling me how there is a job opening at Luna Nova, to teach transmutative magic. Nothing is set in stone quite yet, but if I were to interview with Ursula for the job, it's almost certainly mine," Akko finally explained.

Sucy thought for a bit before responding. Traveling the world had always been Akko's dream, but she could tell from her girlfriend's tone that she really wanted this job as well. It was out of the question for her to try and do both, so she would have to make a choice. A lot of the time, when she was faced with a decision, Akko already knew what she wanted to do. She just needed some help realizing it. Over the years together, Sucy had become a master at getting there.

"Is this something you really want to do?" Sucy asked calmly.

It didn't take long for Akko to answer.

"Yeah! Of course I do! It's just that if I do, I'll have to stop being Shiny Star, at least for awhile…"

"And?" Sucy offered.

"And I don't want to end up disappointing anybody. Getting to where I am today, it's all I ever talked about. won't I be letting people down if I stop?"

Akko's voice was at a near whisper now. She always had a habit of speaking softly when she was troubled.

"Akko, no one is going be disappointed in you for following your heart. If you really want to be a teacher, than go teach," Sucy said in a comforting tone. "If anyone raises a stink about it, they'll have to answer to me."

She gave one of her signature shark-like grins at this, and judging from Akko's shudder, she knew it. Still, once again Akko surprised her with her next question.

"You won't be disappointed in me?" Akko asked quietly, turning in Sucy's lap to look her in the eye.

Sucy started her answer by moving forward and pressing a light kiss to her girlfriends lips.

"Of course not you dummy," She said as she pulled back. "I could never be disappointed in you. Besides, if you take the job, I can see my sweet guinea pig more."

Akko giggled as Sucy moved to kiss her again, this time kissing her all over her face rather than just her lips.

"Touring as Shiny Star was fun, but I got to admit, it got exhausting spending all that time away from you Kinoko," Akko said sigh.

It wasn't often that she used Sucy's nickname, as the alchemist found it quite embarrassing. She'd let it slide this time though.

"You sure you won't miss being the girlfriend of a star?" Akko asked after another quick kiss.

"You mean having some of your crazy fans track down our house to try and ask you to sign one of those goofy posters? Not in the least."

"Hey!" Akko said with a laugh, knocking her girlfriend over playfully.

Sucy continued laughing at her jab as the two wrestled around on the blanket, any remaining tarts forgotten. The brief struggle ended with Akko on top of her, her knees holding down her sides, and her arms her wrists. Despite being the shorter of the two, especially after Sucy hit a late growth spurt in their second year, Akko always had been the physically stronger of the two. Even now, Sucy could tell it wasn't taking her girlfriend much effort to hold her down like this.

"Caught you~" Akko said in a sing song voice as she leaned her face closer to Sucy's.

Sucy responded with a toothy grin.

"How terrible," she said in mock fear. "The big scary guinea pig has me cornered…"

"That's right my Kinoko," Akko said, her breath brushing against Sucy's lips. "And now I'm going to eat you up."

"I don't think guinea pigs eat mushrooms."

"You get the point."

And with that, Akko brought their lips together. The kiss was different from the ones they were sharing earlier. It was deeper, more passionate. Sucy sighed into the kiss, and wrapped her arms around Akko's waist as she released her wrists. She pulled the brunette closer, relishing in her love. It was Akko that finally broke the kiss, moving back for air. It was a good thing too. Sucy still had something important to do. She couldn't afford to get lost in Akko's charms just yet. Ignoring Akko's whine of protest, Sucy moved the other woman off of her and stood to her feet.

"Hey Akko," Sucy said, turning to her love. "Come take a walk with me."

Akko raised an eyebrow in question, but took the hand Sucy extended out to her all the same. She pulled the brunette to her feet, and started to walk towards the river bank. She had purposefully set the blanket near it, knowing way back when her plans were just a passing thought were she needed to propose.

"Where exactly did you want to walk to?" Akko asked as they followed the river.

"Oh, nowhere in particular," Sucy said slyly, turning to her girlfriend with a smile.

She knew it wouldn't take long for Akko to realize where they were headed. After all, they had been there many times. It was where they first met, where they shared their first kiss, and where they had stopped on countless of other dates over the years. It was special to them, so it didn't surprise Sucy when she saw her girlfriend's eyes light up as they approached the familiar worn cobblestone.

"Aww did you really miss me that much?" Akko said teasingly. "Taking me to such a lovey-dovey spot?"

Sucy's smile only widened as she started across the bridge, stopping once she hit the middle. Slowly she turned to face Akko.

"Do you remember? It was just like this when we met," Sucy said calmly. "Well, not exactly. Our places were swapped."

Akko simply stood still. Sucy could tell she was probably confused. That's alright. She wouldn't be for much longer.

"The day we met, you asked me a question, one that ended up changing my life," Sucy said as Akko slowly walked towards her.

The Japanese girl smiled at this, giggling slightly.

"All I did was ask you your name," Akko cheerfully.

Sucy simply smiled.

"Yeah, you did. But it ended up being so much more than that. I'm a different person thanks to you Akko, a better one. Thank you."

Akko blushed at the praise, responding with a quite 'your welcome'. While she hadn't been nervous this whole time, Sucy had to admit that as the time grew closer for the her to pop the question, her heart was racing a bit. This was it.

"That day we met, you asked me a question and changed my life," Sucy repeated. "Now, it's my turn to ask you one, and I hope you change my life again."

Akko tilted her head in confusion. She seemed ready to ask Sucy exactly what she meant when the lavender haired woman sank to one one knee. Sucy had to stop herself from giggling as Akko's eyes widened in surprise, and she covered her mouth with her hands. Her shocked expression was simply adorable.

"Atsuko Kagari, will you marry me?"

Sucy pulled the ring box for her pocket, and slowly opened it, revealing the shining ruby within. Akko didn't say anything at first, simply standing there stunned. Then she started crying. For a fraction of a second, a small part of her started to worry, but was instantly reassured when she realized Akko was most definitely happy crying. She always blubbered way more when she happy cried. Needless to say, the Japanese woman wasn't really able to say much through, nodding her head furiously instead. Sucy chuckled as she slipped the ring on Akko's finger. It certainly wasn't a very conventional acceptance, but this was Akko. She hardly did anything conventional. Besides, that was one of the the reasons Sucy fell in love with her. The conventional had always bored her. Once the ring was on her finger, Akko pulled Sucy into a big hug, culminating in a big kiss on her lips. Sucy felt her heart soar as she deepened the kiss. That was definitely a 'yes'.


	6. Epilogue

**AN:** **It's here! The finale/Epilogue of the Bridge Between You and Me! I want to start off by apologizing for the delay. My computer's hard drive broke, and I was without access to my works for about two weeks. I'm actually posting this chapter from a loaner as I type this! The next thing I want to address was everyone who has been following this story. Thank you all so much for the kind reviews and constructive feedback! It means the absolute world to me. Finally, I want to talk about whats coming up. I have already mentioned the spin-off of this story, taking place during Akko and Sucy's trip to Japan, but I was also thinking of maybe doing a collection of one-shots/two-shots about various points in Sucy and Akko's life. I hope you look forward to both!**

 **so, without further ado, please enjoy the final chapter!**

* * *

It was no secret that witches lived a very long time. While the average non-magical human would be lucky to live to a ripe age like 80 or so years, a witch could easily exceed 100. Particularly powerful witches were even rumored to live centuries. This meant that witches had a long and thorough history, one filled with rituals, ceremonies and countless memorials. So it came to little surprise when the High Magic Council filed a complaint against the Blytonbury City Planning Department.

The details hadn't been made entirely clear, but apparently the city's plan for building a new park overlapped directly with a landmark considered very important by magical kind, especially to the witch who originally lobbied the council to file a complaint.

And that was who she was meeting with. Eleanor let out a frustrated sigh as she checked the map that had been sent to her. In recent years, witches had come a long way in adapting to new technologies, but were still a ways behind the modern standard. Eleanor appreciated the electronic map, but wished the display was a bit more informative rather than the flat out general area it gave her. 'Follow the path and you'll probably find it' were far from the best instructions.

On some level she still felt betrayed. Eleanor knew she was the newest employee at the office, but it still seemed highly unfair that she was the one who got saddled with this whole mess. Witches were notoriously stubborn when it came to complaints like this, so the chances of her actually changing this one's mind were next to none. They wouldn't reach an agreement, it would go to the higher ups to deal with and on and on until something was figured out that made everyone happy. That meant this whole thing was nothing but a waste of her time.

Eleanor shivered as a sudden gust of wind blew, messing up her short, amber locks. Winter was right around the corner, and there was nothing she'd love more than being back in her heated office. But she wasn't. She was following some dirt path to go argue with a witch. The grass at its edges was tall and untrimmed, spilling into the path itself. Eleanor had read somewhere that at one point it had been used by witches who were on their way to the leyline terminal. Those days were long gone though, for as far she knew most witches traveled to the leyline by the magical roads via broom.

The whole thing just felt, abandoned. Yet for some reason Eleanor couldn't help but feel a bit at ease as well. It was strange, to say in the least.

After following the path for a good while, Eleanor found herself at a small river. It wasn't very wide, and the water wasn't water wasn't very flowing very fast, but a small bridge stretched over it all the same. The stone of the bridge's railing over lapped awkwardly and inconsistently, giving the appearance that it was hastily put together. The flagstone used for the actual bridge itself was much cleaner and arranged more orderly, the markings on it revealing years of use. Strangely enough, the bridge didn't seem worn, or dilapidated in anyway, despite its apparent age. If the path leading up to it were anything to go by, the old thing should have fallen apart and into the river ages ago. Yet, here it stood, sturdy and defiant.

While the bridge was quite the curiosity, it was the woman standing on it that really caught Eleanor's attention. It wasn't hard to tell she was a witch, her robes and the broom she had slung over her shoulder being a dead give away. She was quite tall, and on the thinner side. Her skin was a strange almost ghost like pale, and her chocolate brown hair was worn in a long braid, draping over her left shoulder. For whatever reason, her left eye was obscured by her bangs.

As she approached, Eleanor cleared her throat to prepare a greeting.

"Hi there," she said in a friendly tone, holding out her hand for the witch to take. "I'm Eleanor Van Buren, from the Blytonbury City Planning Department. Are you the witch I'm supposed to be meeting to discuss our planning options?"

The witch didn't respond immediately, seemingly examining her before a small smile spread across her face. She hadn't been able to tell before, but up close it was easy to see the witch was nearing her silver years. Still, there was an indescribable energy in her smile, one that seemed warm and boundless. Her dark, scarlet red eye shined with it as she took Eleanor's hand and shook it.

"My name is Akiko Manbavaran-Kagari. Nice to meetcha!"

Eleanor was a bit taken aback by the fervor in which she shook her hand, and had to catch herself from falling over.

"Uh, r-right," she said stabilizing herself. "Well Mrs., um, Manbavaran-Kagari-"

"Oh please just call me Aki," the witch interrupted. It was hard to explain, but her words and attitude were chipper, yet her tone was dry and droll. Almost like she somehow simultaneously excited and bored.

"Right...Aki," Eleanor began. "Why don't we start at the beginning. What exactly is it that the magic council is afraid of getting demolished?"

The last thing Eleanor had expected was for Aki to start laughing. It was raspy, yet obviously familiar to the tall witch. She clearly enjoyed her fair share of mirth.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be rude," Aki said as her laughter died down. The large grin she wore before continuing, giving Eleanor a clear look at her surprisingly shark-like teeth.

"The thing we're worried about gettin' knocked over is right under you!" the brunette woman exclaimed gesturing to the bridge around them.

Eleanor simply stared at her in slight disbelief. This was all over some tiny bridge? She knew witches were weird but this was a whole new level of nonsensical.

"You mean..this whole problem, is because of this little bridge?" She asked incredulously.

Aki simply nodded her head, a smile on her face.

"Well yeah. I don't go through all the trouble of maintaining it for your department to go and wreck it," she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Well at least now she knew how the bridge had stayed in good shape all this time. Magic really did seem like the only answer.

"Not to undermine your effort or anything," Eleanor started cautiously. The last thing she wanted was to get cursed or something. "But is this one bridge really worth it? I mean is it really all that...special?"

Aki paused at this, putting a seemingly contemplative hand to her chin, a sly grin on her face. Suddenly she stopped, turning to point at something to left of the bridge.

"It is to them."

Confused by her statement, Eleanor followed her line of sight. Her confusion quickly changed to awe. Resting nearby at the bank of the river, was a massive sakura tree. It's hundreds of out stretched branches, swaying in the breeze. Despite the closeness to winter, each one was covered in beautiful pink blossoms. Gently, pink petals fell from it, drifting down into the river, making the lazy stream flow with color. Equally magnificent, and arguably just as baffling, was the tree that accompanied it.

Pressed against the sakura's trunk, was a tall and spindly banaba tree. It's branches were seemingly intertwined with that of the sakura's, it's light purple blossoms blending with the pink of its partner's. The two trees stood proudly, side by side, practically woven together, as if nothing could separate them. Not only were neither of the tree types native to the area, but there was no way that either could have possibly grow to the size they had with another so close. The most confusing thing at all however, was how Eleanor had failed to notice them on her approach.

None of it made any sense. She turned to Aki for an answer, but stopped when she saw the other woman's face. There was a far off, nostalgic look in her eyes as she gazed at the two planted wonders. Suddenly, she started to walk across the bridge, passing by Eleanor as she did. Startled, Eleanor followed her until they stopped at the base of the two trees.

She hadn't noticed it before (that seemed to be an annoying trend today) but there were two stone plaques situated just at the base of both trees. What they said Eleanor was unable to tell, as each one was written in a different language, ones she couldn't read. Slowly, Aki raised a hand, and placed it at the point where the two trees seemed to meet. The brunette witch started to hum as she ran her hand across the bark.

Eleanor was at a lost for what to say. She had expected to come and argue with some crabby old lady about the importance of some enchanted rocks or something. That was all but forgotten at this point. She never would have guessed to see something like this, and the awe of it all simply kept her from caring about something so petty. What she was seeing was special, she just knew it. Just as she was about to break the silence, Aki beat her to it.

"I'm not sure if you know, but when a witch passes on, she must return the magic within her to the earth that gave it to her," Aki began. Her voice was quieter than it was before.

"We, to put it simply, become trees!" the witch said with a smile, turning to face Eleanor. "Rumor has that the more powerful the witch, the greater her resulting tree."

"Then...these are...graves?"

Eleanor was surprised at how quiet her own voice had gotten. Aki gave a slight giggle before responding with a nod.

"I guess, by non-magic standards yeah, they are. We like to think of them in a less dark sense though. Less, a burial place for the dead, and more, were they simply decided to live on," Aki explained.

"Then these witches, the two burri- er, living here, were quite powerful then?" Eleanor asked.

Aki smiled once again before turning back to the trees.

"Yeah some would say my mothers were pretty strong. They were apart of the New Nine Witches after all."

A wave of realization hit Eleanor in that moment. Manbavaran-Kagari. The name had rung a slight bell when she heard it before, but it was quite clear now. Sucy Manbavaran and Atsuko Kagari; two of nine fabled witches who had helped to save the world from a doom filled missile so long ago. This is where they were buried!?...this was their daughter!?

"Y-you're the daughter of two of the nine witches!?" Eleanor asked stunned.

"Yes, I am," Aki said with a laugh. "And as I said earlier, that bridge was very important to my mothers during their lives. It's important to me too of course. I have countless family memories revolving around it."

Aki walked forward, stopping to crouch near her mothers' plaques. Silently, she placed two things, a jar of pickled plums, and a bundle of fungus, down in front of them. Turning back to face Eleanor, Aki began to walk back to the bridge. Once again, Eleanor followed. Looking briefly over her shoulder, she was shocked to find that the trees had seemingly vanished, leaving behind an empty river bank.

"Normally we keep the trees cloaked to non-magical eyes, you know to keep away fanatics and tourists," Aki explained "Although I'm sure Okasan would have loved the attention," Aki chuckled at this before continuing.

"I made an exception for you though, because I thought you'd just might need to see them to get where I'm coming from."

Aki paused and turned one last time to her with a big smile.

"They say the more powerful a witch was, the greater the tree. I say boo to that, it's all about the love. The love they had in life, that's what makes for a grand tree. And a lot of my mothers' Love is centered around that little bridge," Aki said proudly.

"Do you see why I can't let the city get rid of it?" the witch asked gently.

Slowly, a smile spread across Eleanor's face. With a slight giggle, she responded:

"Yeah...I think I do."

It came to the delight of the magical

Council, and to Akiko personally, when it was announced two weeks later that the city would be dropping its plan to build.


End file.
